Dyslexia affects from 4 percent to 8 percent of the population, according to dyslexia-parent.com. If detected while a person is young, several strategies can be undertaken to help the child succeed in life. If left undetected and untreated, problems can develop in school that could continue into an adult's life. There is no cure for dyslexia, but with testing and support, those with the condition can be accomplished in life.

Preliminary Stages

A major misconception about dyslexia testing is the concept of one test being the deciding factor. There is no single test that determines once and for all that someone is dyslexic. First, evidence must be gathered by an educational specialist trained in specific learning difficulties to see if there is good reason to place a child through a testing process. The specialist will meet with parents or guardians to gather a complete educational and developmental history of the child. Report cards, individual reports from teachers, results of any testing already completed and findings from any form of speech and language therapy that the child might have undergone will all be evaluated. If there is enough direct evidence linked to dyslexia, then the child will be put through the testing process.

Testing Areas

Dyslexia has a range from mild to serious to profound. To ascertain the level and weakness areas, 10 to 12 different tests are given. The tester will likely test memory because dyslexia makes it difficult to remember random facts. The child might be asked to write some thing in a sequence and then backward to test their memory recall skills. Auditory processing is also a test area. The child might hear something and then have to reproduce it from memory. Phonics testing is also common to see if the child can match symbols to sounds. This is an area dyslexic children commonly struggle with. Reading words is another test area. Children with dyslexia can read, but their coping strategies usually start to fail by the time they are about 9 or 10 years old. A list of nonsense words is usually given to see if the child can sound them out. If they are unable to sound out words, this is one of the warning signs for dyslexia. Reading fluency is often tested to see how fast they can get through a page of text. Copying words from a board and a small writing sample are also methods used. When writing, the pencil grip is given close attention and their memory span for copying written words.

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How to Diagnose Dyslexia

Frequently Asked Questions about Dyslexia